All New Legends of the Dark Knight Volume One
All New Batman: The Dark Knight Volume One is the first book in my fictional Batman series. It stars the Penguin and Anarky as the main villains, and retells the origins of Batman. It's sequel is All New Legends of the Dark Knight Volume Two Plot Then The book opens at Wayne Manor, where Thomas Wayne is holding a party to celebrate WayneTech merging with Cobblepot Exports. Thanking the old head of CE, Oswald Cobblepot, for agreeing to the merger, he tells his son, Bruce, to get his coat. As a treat, he plans on taking his wife (Martha), son and bodyguard (Alfred) out to a movie. Just before they leave Thomas sees Alfred and Martha talking quietly, but thinks nothing of it and tells his son, Bruce, to get his coat. After the movie, Thomas sees Alfred and Martha talking again and demands to know what is going on. Martha reveals that she has been cheating on him. Enraged, Thomas shouts at Martha and Alfred, which frightens Bruce, who runs off down an alleyway. Thomas and Martha run off after him, leaving Alfred (who has just been dismissed) behind. Finding Bruce, they console him and decide to try and patch up their marriage for his sake. At that moment, a man appears and asks Thomas if he is Thomas Wayne. After Thomas confirms this, the man pulls out a gun and demands their money. Thomas's military training kicks in, and he attempts to fight off the mugger, but fails and is shot dead. Martha shields Bruce as the mugger tries to rip off her pearl necklace. She resists and is shot dead as well. The mugger considers killing Bruce, but can't bring himself to and runs away. Hearing the gunshots, Alfred runs into the alleyway to find Bruce kneeling next to his parents' corpses. He watches as Bruce vows to rid his city of the evil that took his parents. Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred, feeling guilty at his betrayal of Bruce's father, decides to try and make up for it by taking in Bruce. Bruce begins seeing the renowned therapist Doctor Jonathan Crane, who recommends they move out of Wayne Manor until Bruce is at an age where he can begin to cope with his loss. Bruce and Alfred move to an apartment in the middle of Gotham, and Bruce attends the nearby school where he befriends twins Harvey and Jessica Dent. Now Bruce is pulling on a black boiler suit and ski mask in his apartment. Alfred comes in and demands to know what Bruce is doing. Bruce tells him that he is fulfilling the promise he made to his parents. Alfred says that there are other, better ways to try and fix Gotham. Bruce pushes past him and climbs out of the window. Alfred shouts that he didn't give him Marine training so that he could get himself killed. Bruce argues that Oswald Cobblepot had his parents killed. He points out that Cobblepot would have the most to gain from his parents' deaths. Alfred tells him he's being ridiculous, and that he's just looking for someone to blame in order to find a way to cope. Bruce says nothing and leaves. Alfred kicks the bed and returns to the living room, where a news report on DA Dent failing to convict Oswald Cobblepot for the illegal selling of weapons to the terrorist, Anarky, who for the past month has terrorized Gotham. Alfred grumbles and changes the channel. He finds the Mark of Zorro is playing. He switches off the television and looks over at a photo of the Wayne's and himself. He looks at Martha and Thomas smiling, and begins to cry. Bruce finds a group of thieves loading stolen goods into the back of a Wayne/Cobblepot Industries Van. He hides behind a dumpster and begins photographing them. They go back inside to collect more stolen things, and Bruce seizes the chance to get some evidence from inside the van. While he is photographing the crates inside the van, Bruce is suddenly hit over the back of the head. He falls to the floor, dazed, as the rest of the gang moves in. Once suggests they remove his mask. He reaches down to take it off, at which point Bruce breaks his hand. The first assailant backs off as the rest move in to attack. After a brutal fight, in which Bruce get's his nose broken and sprains his wrist, he dispatches the hoods and limps home. Alfred tends to his wounds in silence and Bruce tells him that something didn't feel right. That the criminals weren't afraid of him. Alfred says nothing, and Bruce collapses into his bed. He sleeps for an hour before Alfred comes in to remind Bruce that he has dinner with Jessica and Harvey. Bruce drags himself out of bed and puts on a tuxedo. He asks Alfred where the ring is. Alfred hands him a box and tells him to stay calm, and that as long as he doesn't punch Harvey Jessica will probably accept his proposal instantly. Bruce smiles and apologizes for his behavior earlier. Alfred apologizes and they walk down to the car. At the restaurant Jessica waves Bruce over. They kiss, and Harvey rolls his eyes. Jessica tells him to lighten up, and they order. Bruce nervously clutches the box in his pocket and requests that he and Harvey talk privately. Harvey agrees, and Bruce reveals to him that he plans to ask Jessica to marry him. He then asks Harvey if they can patch up their friendship, and he agrees. They shake hands and return to the table. After they finish their dinners, Jessica announces that her campaign for mayor is going well, and she plans to sever the ties between the police force and Wayne/Cobblepot Industries. Bruce tells her he has an announcement of his own, gets down on one knee and asks Jessica to marry him. She agrees, and Bruce buys champagne for everyone in the room. A voice congratulates him. He turns round and is met by Oswald Cobblepot who introduces himself as the man whose company Thomas Wayne bought out and Jessica's opponent in the election for Mayor of Gotham. Bruce thanks him for the congratulations and is annoyed as Cobblepot looks appreciatively at Jessica's ass. He excuses himself and Jessica comments that she didn't like him. Suddenly, the window explodes inwards and a group of armed thugs burst in. Behind them is the terrorist, Anarky. He proclaims that the social elite of Gotham have stomped on the underdogs for too long and that now they must pay the price. Bruce engages the hoods and manages to subdue some of them, but is distracted by Anarky taking Jessica hostage. The rest of the hoods proceed to beat him until a team of policemen led by Captain James Gordon storm in. Anarky's men exchange fire with Gordon's. When it becomes clear that he cannot win, Anarky drops a smoke bomb and flees the scene with Jessica as his hostage. Just before he blacks out, Bruce sees Gordon, Harvey and Alfred rush towards him. Then he slips into unconsciousness. Bruce wakes up in hospital with Harvey and Alfred crowded around his bed. Bruce asks what happened to Anarky. Harvey says that Gordon's men have yet to find him. Alfred tells Bruce to rest up. Bruce attempts to move, but sees his leg in a cast. A week passes, and Bruce cannot get out of bed. With the police unable to capture Anarky, criminals grow bolder each day. Bruce is eventually discharged, and he and Alfred make their way back to his apartment. The city is in chaos. Bruce decides that he has to take down Anarky in order to restore order to Gotham. Alfred tells him he isn't ready, and when Bruce attempts to get his boiler suit and ski mask, Alfred pushes him back and points out that he can barely stand, let alone take on an army of anarchists. Bruce points out that Alfred taught him to fight, and Alfred tells him that he only knows self defence moves, but that he knows a man who can teach him the skills he'll need. Bruce tells Alfred to arrange a meeting, while he gathers equipment. Bruce goes to Lucius Fox at Wayne/Cobblepot. He asks Fox about the military suits and equipment he was designing. Fox points out that they were to expensive to mass produce, but all worked perfectly. Bruce then asks about Fox's daughter, who has cancer. Fox tells him (somewhat suspiciously) that they don't have enough money for treatment. Bruce offers to pay for his daughter's treatment in exchange for the abandoned projects. The next night, Alfred informs Bruce that his teacher is waiting for him at pier 7 at the Gotham Shipyard. Bruce travels there, but when he arrives there is nobody in sight. Suddenly, a man loops a length of wire around Bruce's neck and begins to choke him. Just before he passes out, the man releases him. He introduces himself as Slade Wilson, the teacher Alfred hired. Bruce demands to know why Slade attacked him, and Slade tells him it was to see how much Bruce would need to be taught and agrees to teach Bruce the skills he'll need. At the end of the training sessions, Slade asks Bruce how he plans to defeat Anarky. Bruce tells him about the equipment, and his plan to frighten Anarky out into the open by quelling all the chaos he's caused. Before he leaves, Slade points out to Bruce that in order to scare others he must first master his own fear. He then mentions that Alfred told him about Bruce's theory that Cobblepot murdered his parents, and tells him that he was right about Cobblepot trying to have them killed. When asked how he knows this, Slade tells Bruce it's because Cobblepot hired him to kill them. Bruce resolves to topple Cobblepot from his throne, and set his father's company (and Gotham City) back on track. Bruce tells Alfred what Slade told him. Alfred asks him what fears he has to overcome, and Bruce tells him he has only one: returning to Wayne Manor. Together they travel back to their old house. When they remove the boarding from the doors and open them up, a swarm of bats flies out. Alfred shields his head, but when he looks over to Bruce sees him standing calmly. Bruce then enters the house and switches on the lights. He goes to the garage, where the body armor and gadgets he bought from Lucius Fox are waiting. He sets about redesigning certain aspects and builds himself a leather-over-chainmail cowl with a cape. He adds a belt, and sprays a symbol onto the chest piece of the armor. Bruce puts on the costume (with his back to the reader, hidden in shadow). Once clothed, he holds out his hand to Alfred for his cape and cowl. Bruce downs the headpiece and steps into the light. Alfred steps back in shock at the menacing silhouette (reader is only shown his eye narrowing). Bruce gets onto the motorbike he had sent up and sets off into the night. For the next five days, news channels report an attack on Gotham's criminals by a monstrous vigilante. Reports differ as to his appearance, ranging from a flying beast to a vampiric figure. The scene cuts to a man in a red hood and cape running through the Ace Chemicals building. The Red Hood turns a corner and runs straigt into Batman. He sprints off in the other direction and ends up at a dead end, with the walkway ending in front of a vat of chemicals. Batman drops down in front of the criminal. The Red Hood draws a gun, and tells Batman to back off, saying he needs the money or Loan Sharks will kill his wife. Batman raises his hands and advances, prompting the Red Hood to fire on him. Batman rolls out of the way and draws his own gun. Bruce aims at the Red Hood's head, but can't bring himself to fire. The Red Hood can, though, and continues shooting, forcing Bruce to return fire. He hits the Red Hood in the shoulder, sending him tumbling over the edge of the walkway into a vat of chemicals. Bruce runs to the edge and looks over. He sees the Red Hood's cloak floating on the surface of the chemicals. Batman vows never to take another life and to never use a gun. He throws his pistol in. It lands on top of the cloak and drags it under. Batman turns and walks away. The scene cuts to two goons driving a stolen Wayne/Cobblepot van, being chased by Captain Gordon. They look around nervously, until one shrieks that "he's up there! I see him". The goon leans out of the window and shoots at Gordon's car, when suddenly a line of rope wraps around his arm and pulls him through the window, leaving him haning from a lampost. Gordon slows down, which the goon driving the van questions, until he sees what's up ahead. Swooping towards him is the Batman. Batman lands on the truck's bonnet and obscures the windscreen with his cape, leaping off just before the truck crashes into a building. Gordon pulls up and gets out of his car, to sees Batman slamming the goon into the side of the truck and demanding to know what the explosives in the back of the van were for. Gordon puts his hand on Batman's shoulder and tells him to stop. Batman releases the goon and Gordon bends his arm behind his back. The goon cries out and tells them that the bombs were being delivered to Anarky. Batman asks who sent them and Gordon twists the goon's arm harder. He cries out that they were being sent by Oswald Cobblepot, and that he is funding Anarky. Gordon arrests the goon and calls for backup. He calls Dent and says they might have a lead as to Jessica's whereabouts. He asks Batman to help. Batman is puzzled by this, until Gordon says that in Gotham City the Police need all the help they can get. Batman, Dent and Gordon enter the Cobblepot Manor and Gordon displays his arrest warrant for Oswald Cobblepot. The secretary phones up to Cobblepot, who orders his goons to eject them, by any means necessary. The trio fight their way up to Cobblepot's lounge where he shoots Dent with a gun built into his umbrella. Dent falls to the ground, and Cobblepot holds up Batman and Gordon. He proceeds to gloat about how perfect the situation is for him. He has killed Dent, which would close down any investigations into him, and Batman. Batman asks him why he's funding Anarky, to which Cobblepot replies "Money". He elaborates: Wayne/Cobblepot had hit a bit of an economic downturn. He needed a quick way to get money flowing again. So he devised a plan. Cobblepot put the word out that he needed a man to do a very dangerous job, and was provided with Lonnie Machin the terminal cancer patient, who needed money for his wife and unborn child. Cobblepot offered him $100,000 to pose as the terrorist Anarky, who would target Wayne/Cobblepot buildings so Cobblepot could claim the insurance. As well as that, Cobblepot's weapons contract with the police meant that he would make a fortune from the buying his weapons, and helping stop the evil terrorist Anarky would provide the PR boost he needed to get into office as Mayor. Batman then asks what the explosives were for. Cobblepot tells him they were for Anarky's big finale: Blowing up Wayne/Cobblepot along with his rival for Mayor of Gotham. He then decides to kill Batman and Gordon, but before he can, Dent shoots him twice in the head, saying "Two shots to the head. If you ask me, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy". Gordon tends to Dent as Batman heads off to defeat Anarky. Meanwhile, Anarky sets up a live feed from the top of Wayne/Cobblepot, showing Jessica bound. Jessica asks him why he's doing this, and Anarky tells her that she wouldn't understand. He then begins broadcasting his plans to destroy Wayne/Cobblepot, killing the social elitist who plans to become mayor. Anarky shows off his bombs and begins to climb up to the roof, where he plans to execute Jessica. Just before he can, his arm is struck by a crude batarang. He pulls it out of his arm and throws the batarang to the ground. Turning, with a gun in hand, he sees Batman. Batman orders him to stop, and Anarky tells him that he can't. Batman informs Anarky of Cobblepot's death, and that his family won't receive any money. This pushes Anarky over the edge, as he realises his last hope to save his family has failed. He decides to destroy Wayne/Cobblepot anyway, forcing Batman to fight him. Anarky proves himself to a surprisingly capable combatant, but is ultimately defeated when Batman loops a length of sire around Anarky's legs and dangles him from the roof of Wayne/Cobblepot. Meanwhile, Jessica has grabbed the Batarang and uses it to cut her bonds. Batman demands to know how to disarm the bombs, but Anarky refuses to tells him. Batman is forced to manually remove the detonators from each bomb. However, he runs out of time before he can defuse the last bomb. Forced to abandon Anarky, Batman grabs Jessica and dives off the roof of the building just as it explodes (blowing off the "cobblepot" part of the Wayne/Cobblepot sign). As they fall through the air, Bruce remembers a modification he had made to the cape, based on an old idea of foxes for more easily compactable parachutes. He presses a button on his belt, which runs a charge through his cape, hardening the struts it to form a large pair of bat-like glider wings. Batman and Jessica safely glide down to the ground, where they are met by Captain Gordon who congratulates him on his victory. Jessica is less congratulatory, and cites that it was Batman's recklessness that forced Anarky to play his last, desperate, card. She also points out how he left Anarky to die. Jessica recommends that Gordon arrest Batman. Gordon hesitates, saying that as Batman had just saved thousands, he has earned an amnesty for his past charges of assault. Jessica tells Batman to quit, or when she is mayor she'll have an arrest warrant placed on him. Batman tells her he'll never quit, and fires his grappling line onto a building and grapples away into the distance. Gordon shakes his head and declares Batman either Gotham's greatest hero, or it's most destructive villain, and that only time will tell the difference. Later Bruce and Jessica get married. Despite subtly trying to dissuade her, Jessica still believes Batman is a menace and has an arrest warrant put on him. She places Gordon as the head of the squad. Bruce and Alfred move back into Wayne Manor with Jessica. Alfred informs him that Fox's daughter is recovering steadily. Bruce decides, much to Alfred's disapproval, to continue being the Batman, and sets up a rudimentary base beneath the Manor. The book flashes back to the scene where Batman faces the Red Hood. The Red Hood (in first person) fires on Batman. When Batman's bullet hits, he trips over into the vat, where he blacks out. Waking up later (after being flushed out into the river), the Red Hood climbs out onto the street and throws off his cloak and helmet. He notices that his tuxedo has been died purple and his skin bleached white. As he stumbles along the streets back to his house, people scream and turn away wen they see him. He can't understand why they hate him. When he gets back to his house, his wife rushes forwards to hug him, but screams when she sees him. The Red Hood walks towards her, but she bacls away. Something inside him snaps. He decides he's had enough of people treating him like crap and shoots his wife through the head. He then realises what he's done and desperately tries to put his wife's brain back inside her head. He bursts out laughing and stumbles into the bathroom to try and wash the blood off of his gloves, when he suddenly sees his reflection in the mirror. After being sick into the toilet he starts laughing again and pulls a deck of cards out of his pocket and extracts one from the deck. He stares at it and mutters that it's like looking into a mirror. He tucks the card into his breast pocket and leaves, runninjg his ands through his hair. He sees the top of Wayne Cobblepot explode and a dark shape fall from it. The man grins maniacally and strolls off down the street, killing anyone he meets. It starts raining, and he looks into a puddle. The grin is still plastered on his face and he mutters how random existence is. Like taking a card from a deck. He wonders how he could have been such a fool all of his life, expecting people to be good, to play fair. He decides he won't be a clown any more. Staring into his reflection (the first time the reader sees his face), he declares his life the funniest story ever told, and calls himself the Joker. Category:Bluemetrox Category:Fan fiction